The refrigerator light goes on...

This recipe was a challenge not so much because of the amount of fat that many Creole recipes have in them but because of the amount of salt. The first concern was the sausage. A number of variations of ham and sausage were tried but the Healthy Choice and Healthy Ones are widely available products with only 480 mg of sodium and 2.5 grams of fat in 2 ounces. You may be able to find similar products at your grocery -- look for the American Heart Association “Heart Check” Symbol. Sometimes locally made is a great choice. Comparing packages is the key and in one case the local brand also had less fat and salt coming very close to the "healthy" versions.

The other issue was seasoning. There are countless recipes for Creole seasoning but most of us don’t have the time and will choose one off of the shelf at the store. The ones made in Louisiana are the key -- Chef Paul Prudhomme’s and Tony Chachere’s are GREAT products! The McCormick is the national brand with the lowest amount of sodium and has great flavor, but if you use this one don’t add any salt.

Lastly, there is the issue of the beans. Most canned beans have a lot of salt in them. There are versions without salt and you could use them in place of soaking and cooking dried beans. Rinse them well before adding them to the pot. A great alternative is frozen kidney beans. I stumbled across a product by a company called Pictsweet® and these work great. There’s virtually no salt and the 32 ounce bag is about equivalent to a pound of dried beans.

Red Beans & Rice

Servings = 8 | Serving size =about 1 1/2 cups beans with 2/3 cup rice

Cooking Time = 120 Minutes

This recipe can be multiplied by 2.

This recipe can be multiplied by 2, but you'll need a big pot. This recipe is better as leftovers. Best to make it on Sunday for Monday and later in the week.

Place the beans in a large bowl and cover with 3 quarts water. Soak overnight, rinsing away the soaking water.

*** For a quick way of preparing the dried beans, place the beans in a large stock pot and cover with 4 quarts water. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat and cook on low-medium heat for about an hour while you are dicing the vegetables. ***

Place the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions and garlic. Cook for about five minutes. Stir frequently. Add the celery and green pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.

Add the smoked sausage and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently.

Drain the beans and add them to the pot, then add the water, thyme leaves, Creole Seasoning, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Stir and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

When the beans are done, place the 6 cups water in a medium sauce pan over high heat. When the water is boiling, add the rice, stir once, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until all the water is gone (about 30-35 minutes). Stir the rice once to fluff it and then serve the red beans over the rice in 8 equal portions.